More than half of the Flemish municipalities are working on a volunteer corps for emergencies. This is evident from a state of affairs of the Flemish defense plan of Prime Minister Matthias Diependaele and Minister of the Interior Hilde Crevits, which was launched last year.
Source: BELGA
As part of the renewed defense efforts, Diependaele will visit Eurosatory this week, one of the largest defense fairs in the world. Until recently, the fair was mainly on the agenda in Wallonia, with players such as FN Herstal and Cockerill. But this year Flanders is also playing a major role. The war in Ukraine and more flexible Flemish rules have sharpened the entrepreneurial spirit.
Three pillars
One of the pillars of the defense plan was innovation support for promising defense companies. The Muyters guideline was adapted for this purpose. It determined that only defense companies with a civilian branch could receive government support. Since the adjustment, Flanders can also give innovation subsidies to companies that are only active in the military sector. “3.6 million euros have already been promised through the incentive program,” says Diependaele.
A second pillar of the defense plan was the creation of volunteer corps. In emergency situations, they must support professional care providers. They can be responsible for food distribution or cleaning up after a flood. Of the 285 Flemish municipalities, 101 have already set up a force. Another 58 are in the preparation phase.
A third pillar of the defense plan is a defense fund of 1 billion euros, which will be launched in September. Diependaele is convinced in Paris that the necessary money will be found. Discussions are currently underway with pension funds, banks and investment vehicles. They will deliver half the amount. Flanders will contribute the remaining 500 million euros itself.
Finally, the government has written a new arms trade decree, which will be voted on in parliament next week. The new rules tailor the licensing procedure to the sensitivity of the transaction and of the partner country. For trade with reliable countries or within Europe, procedures are simplified and lead times shortened.
The text received heavy criticism from Amnesty and the Flemish Peace Institute, among others. The decree is based too much on economic logic and not enough on safety, the institute believes. According to them, arms export regulation should not strengthen the industry, but prevent material from ending up in the wrong place.
The opposition still wants to correct this with amendments, says Bogdan Vanden Berghe (Green), chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee, but these will probably be voted down. The opposition still hopes for hearings to determine whether the decree meets international standards. Diependaele denies that the decree affects safety. “But we do count on universities and research institutions to make their own ethical assessment,” he says.